SPEECH BY MR JOHN MOODEY, MPL ON THE HERITAGE MOTION DELIVERED IN THE GAUTENG PROVINCIAL LEGISLATURE ON TUESDAY, 1 SEPTEMBER 2015

In his autobiography, former President Nelson Mandela said: “No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love.”

Mandela’s legacy is one which teaches that our common humanity is more valuable to us than our differences. We must all take personal responsibility for advancing reconciliation, and respecting and protecting all South Africans in their racial and cultural diversity.

This Heritage Day, let us all engage in a dialogue about taking responsibility for furthering the goal of a unified South Africa.

Statues are just inanimate objects built to commemorate a historical event or the life of an influential person. But times change and statues that commemorate figures from the past which might have been appropriate for their time are no longer fitting.

It must be clear to us all that we cannot erase history and we cannot escape the fact that our heritage is intertwined as South Africans.

Vandalising statues detracts from the conversation we should be having. Let’s have a conversation about every person getting the same opportunities to be the best they can be – irrespective of race or social standing.

A statue of our colonial past will be a constant reminder of the loss of our dignity when we lost our land, but at the same time it could be symbolic of our victory over apartheid. The challenge of our time is to build a new heritage and a new vision for an inclusive future.

No matter where we come from, no matter our race, no matter our culture, no matter our position in life, we all have a history – we all have a heritage. And it was Nelson Mandela who made our heritage the core of reconciliation.

Freedom and choice is the hard-won right of all South Africans.

Freedom is the right to think, say and do as we see fit, and to make our own choices in life, while remembering that in exercising them, we have responsibilities to not infringe on the rights of others.

The Constitution sets out all our freedoms. They include the right to equality and human dignity, as well as the freedom to be safe; the freedom of religion, belief and opinion; the freedom to earn a living; and the freedom that comes with having access to housing, health care, food and water. The ANC is curtailing the residents of Gauteng’s Freedoms by not giving people access to these basic rights.

People can’t enjoy their freedoms and take up their responsibilities if they don’t have the means – the skills, the tools and the opportunities – to do so. Opportunity is what enables people to be truly free; to live lives they value, to pursue their dreams, and to develop their full potential.

How can a child follow her dreams and develop her talents if she is born into poverty, if she does not receive a quality education, and if she cannot find work? That is still the situation for Gauteng’s children. Opportunity kills poverty.

The heritage of South Africa is one of diversity, united through reconciliation.

And we must continue to build that reconciliation. We must appreciate and respect the rights of every other citizen. No matter their heritage. No matter their position in life.

The state must take active measures in line with the Constitution to promote fairness – where everyone has equal access to rights and opportunities – and to ensure that the playing field is level for all South Africans.

This is the vision that is encapsulated by the DA’s Freedom, Fairness and Opportunity.

The ANC is working hard to create lasting unfairness with its cadre-deployment and nepotism.

In direct contrast, the DA wants to open this great province up to business, and to investment, so that we can stimulate economic growth and create jobs that benefit every person in Gauteng.

That is a heritage worth fighting for. That is a heritage that I want to see become a reality in Gauteng.

We must bridge the gap of inequality.

The heritage we will leave behind must be one of opportunity for all of our children.

This is what the DA is delivering where it governs and what it wants to bring to Gauteng.